[2][3] It was later re-recorded with Art Garfunkel for the 1966 album Sounds of Silence, adding an electric harpsichord, rhythm guitar, and bass.
[7] Simon biographer Cornel Bonca criticizes the "cliched nature imagery" but notes that the "delightful" harpsichord opening "belies the lyrics' winsome gloom.
"[8] On the other hand, music critic Paul Williams used a line from "Leaves That Are Green" to demonstrate Simon's skill as a phrasemaker with a gift for words: "She faded in the night like a poem I meant to write...and the leaves that are green turn to brown.
"[9] Music journalist David Browne considered the theme of the song to be "premature nostalgia.
[11] Charlesworth praised the "intricate guitar picking" but criticizes a "failure of the imagination" in the 3rd verse, where the lyrics just say hello and goodbye.